Emotional Mayhem
by Manipulative Neko
Summary: Haley Cole has visited Italy since she was ten and plans to return to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. After witnessing the Volturi's meal, Haley is forced to become a vampire. Her powers create difficulties unknown, especially with Alec.
1. Dramatic Friends and Italian Tours

"Haley! Oh Haley, thank God."

I lifted the sunglasses off my eyes to get a better look at the bikini-clad Michaela George running to my side. The white beach towel protected my skin from the sand, but made me the brightest one on the beach. I'd been working on a tan for the past week and so far, succeeded in gaining more color than an entire year at the beach back home. Ah, Italy.

"Hales, I need help." Michaela fell to her knees, spraying sand all over my towel. "This is serious."

"Someone shut her up," said the Latina next to me in her warning tone.

"What's wrong, Michaela?" I asked, standing up and stretching. Even I couldn't ignore the looks the men gave. My lean frame fit in and stood out at the beach. Sure, the women were gorgeous here and thin, but they have curves. I did not. I had hip bones.

Michaela pushed her blonde bangs out of her brown eyes. "Remember when you told me to e-mail Joe about what happened?"

"Yes," I drawled out, scanning the clear blue ocean.

"Well he responded and said he'd think about it!" She squealed and hugged me hard. The men already staring stopped trying to be polite. Michaela's arms pressed my breasts together in the most obvious way and though I'm no Pamela Anderson, my normal 32B sized chest could look bigger when pushed up.

"So your boyfriend forgave you," Yessenia said, still laying out in the sun. "Big deal? You think he'll just act like nothing happened when we leave Italy, assuming you don't fuck it up by fucking around."

Michaela frowned. "You could at least be happy."

"Why? You slept with your boyfriend's crew and didn't tell him. The man has a right to be angry."

"Well Hales said that things happen."

I rolled my eyes.

Yessenia lifted her glasses to look at me. "And Hales is so experienced in this category, right?"

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Michaela. "Listen, it's great that Joe said he'd think about getting back with you, but that's all it means right now. It wasn't a yes, so just keep talking and don't do anything here that would screw it up."

The girl in front of me crossed her arms and I uncrossed them. The tight hot pink bikini showed off her body a little too much and if she was serious about getting back with Joe, she needed to tone herself down.

"Told you," Yessenia snarked out.

"Would you shut up?" Michaela snapped. "Not all of us have guys drooling over us like you."

"Excuse me, white girl?" Yessenia sat up and I went in between the two seventeen-year-olds.

"First, calm down. Second, this is my birthday vacation, so can I have some fun and not make everyone else happy?"

Yessenia's mouth flew and Michaela's stared at me with her big, watery eyes. To avoid further conflict, I took my sports bag and swung it over my shoulders. I slipped my sandals on and left the beach without another word to either of them. Ever since the beginning of this trip a week ago, those two hadn't stopped fighting. Yessenia, who secretly wanted Joe, was pissed that Michaela had slept with Joe's friends before dating Joe and never told the boy. Yessenia had told Joe before leaving for Italy. Michaela had no idea, but asked me to help her get back with Joe, claiming she'd do whatever it took. How did I know all of this? Because I keep people's secrets, even if it puts me smack dab in the middle.

I walked up the gold stone steps, admiring the quaint city of Volterra. I'd never been here before, preferring Venice and Rome for city trips and Tuscany for the country scene. I'd come to Italy twice a year since I was ten and continued to fall in love with the country each time. For my eighteenth birthday, my family allowed me to go to Italy alone with Michaela and Yessenia, two of my longest friends even if they didn't get along as well as I'd like. I had decided to leave a week before my birthday, to enjoy my final hours of being seventeen in Italy, but hadn't enjoyed a single moment of it. Even walking the streets gave me more peace and happiness than my friends.

I put my bag on the edge of a large fountain and pulled out my white tank and black cuffed shorts. I pulled both over my white and gold bikini and closed my bag shut when I noticed a tour guide shuffling a relatively large group into the castle ahead. Tourists always seem to dress like tourists as if they want to be noticed. True that I myself am technically a tourist, but I've been here long enough to know how to dress and how to act. Gaping at every single thing was not the way to act. You could admire, but not gap.

The tour guide noticed me and smiled. She was beautiful, but in Italy, women are bred to be gorgeous. She had pale skin and gorgeous dark hair with legs that could last for centuries. She raised a finger for me to follow. I thought about Michaela and Yessenia, wondered briefly if I should go back and see what had happened between the two, but then the guide smiled and waved me over. The building looked like a castle, but the ancient city had to have one, didn't it? I'd never been in a castle before either. Could be cool to tell people when I returned to the States. And the group had a few cute guys in there, amidst the older and younger generations.

My feet took me to the group and the smile on the guide's face widened. Maybe the more people she got in her group, the more money she received. I smiled back. if I had helped her out, more points for me I guess. Or so Yessenia would say. I was always trying to do good and their had to be a reason, according to her. The more good I did, the more points it got me with the man upstairs. I argued, but it fell on deaf ears. Once Yessenia had her mind set on one thinking, it hardly changed.

"Hey," said one of the cuties. He had a deep tan with blond hair that flopped on his head. His eyes were a bright blue. "I'm Nick."

"I'm Haley," I said with a smile. "But call me Hales."

"All right, Hales. You ever been here before?"

"Italy? Yeah. In this castle? No."

"First time for both. Guess you get to witness my Italy cherry being popped."

I fought the urge to blush. "I guess so."

I tried listening to the tour guide explain the dazzling architecture and history of the castle, but Nick continued to make comments and I had to respond. The group walked down a large hallway, more modern than ancient. The hair on my arms lifted slightly with the chills. A secretary greeted us in Italian and a coy smile from behind her desk. Being near the back, I saw the doors open into a grand throne room. The light reflected off the marble and I stopped between the desk and doors. The others went through the doors. My feet wouldn't move. My instincts told me to run, run fast and far away from here, but I couldn't. I stayed completely still.

Like a sitting duck.

* * *

As all stories go, the beginning sets up the action. Don't worry. Alec will show himself in the next chapter (along with the Volturi) and the fun will begin! Did you enjoy it? Let me know!


	2. Screams

The doors closed and I blinked. Within that simple action, my heart sped up, my throat dried, and I suddenly realized the screams in my head were coming from the room. I stared at the circular designs on the wood, wondering what I should do. Go back to the hotel and forget about everything? Call the police and save those people?

I went with the latter.

The girl at the desk looked shocked to see me. I was happy to see the phone. I reached for it, but she grabbed my wrist and said something negative in Italian. I've been here for almost eight years and have yet to understand a single phrase in Italian. I needed to fix that.

"Please, you need to help them. Something's happened. Call the police!"

She blinked at me.

"Polizia!" I pointed to the phone, trying to get the woman to understand. She was either oblivious to the screams and the urgency in my voice or just didn't care. I took a step back at that thought. Did this happen often? If so, what the heck had I gotten into? Or out of to be exact. Crap.

The woman's voice drowned under my fear as I ran back to the front doors, back to the sunny world of Italian beaches and gelato, back to the friends I had brought who never got along, back to normal. The sun hit my face when I bolted through the castle doors. I'd never been so happy to feel the warmth on my face. I didn't care if it burned my skin. I'd rather be red and burnt then suffering in that throne room. What was going on?

The guilt at leaving the group defenseless ate away at me until I found Michaela and Yessenia, still at the beach. Both were sunbathing in their bikinis, but Michaela had put a cover-up on. Not that it did much. I took in deep, soothing breaths as I walked over to my girls. Yessenia laughed and Michaela smiled, happy to have done something right for a change. Michaela could never make Yessenia laugh, not when I was around. Maybe I caused the drama between them. Maybe I needed to take a break from trying to play middle-man and let them be friends.

"Excuse me?"

I jumped at the voice and let out a small squeal. It scared the guy talking to me, but he scared the daylights out of me. I apologized and gave him a smile. It relaxed him. Good. Can't be looked at like a psycho, no matter what happened to those people.

"Would you like to play a game?" he asked in the lovely accent of Italy. He held up a volleyball and pointed to a group of his friends. All of them looked to be a year or so older than me with nice bodies. How could I say no?

The bad thing about playing volleyball when you're a competitive person is that you try to go for every ball. And that puts sand is places it should not go. Of course, I only realized this after we won the game, but the satisfaction of winning didn't override the awkward feeling of sand in my butt.

Yessenia and Michaela had left for gelato and taken their things with them. I picked up my bag and towel, shoving everything in until it fit. Did my bag look too big and oddly shaped? Yes. Think I cared? Nope. Thoughts of the castle and those screams came back to me once the game ended. I needed to get my mind on something else or I'd go nuts.

The sunset on the ocean was beautiful. I stayed with the other people to watch the sky turn orange, pink, red, and even purple. The water rolled onto the sand and over my feet. I breathed in the salty air. If only they had sunsets like these back home. I stayed on the beach until the sun disappeared and then I headed back to the hotel. It wasn't really a hotel, more like an apartment we rented out for the few weeks we'd stay here. All three of us pitched in, Michaela the most. She knew she'd be a pain in the butt and felt that paying more would make up for it. Think I told Yessenia this as a fair warning? Nope because Michaela promised me not to tell. I'm the secret keeper. I hear everything and say nothing. I'm not a fan of it, but people just put me in the position and I can't get out of it.

I turned the corner and the sound of screams reached my ears. I stopped, remembering what I had heard earlier. These were different. These weren't screams of fear, not at all similar to the ones from earlier. They were screams of pain. My feet moved before my mind realized. I darted up the stone steps and saw four figures in black surrounding my friends. Michaela and Yessenia were crunched over, screaming in pain so loud it made me cringe. A blonde hair girl my height demanded them to tell her what she wanted or she'd give them more pain. The other three watched unbothered.

I didn't think about the consequences. In fact, I didn't even think. My mouth opened and words came out.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

My friends stopped screaming and began to breath heavily. Michaela looked up at me through teary eyes. I moved to go towards her, to both my friends, but the blonde one stopped me.

"Demetri, is this her?"

Demetri, a rather attractive man in elegant clothes, had blond hair and red, red eyes. I swallowed the fear down my throat, trying not to berate myself for being an idiot. "She seems to have the description Hiedi gave us."

The girl smiled slightly and looked back at me. Her eyes were red too. All of their eyes were the color of blood. Fantastic. I gave a silent prayer to God to keep me alive as long as possible. At least until I could help Yessenia and Michaela.

"Felix, bring her back to Aro. He wants to speak with her."

Felix was tall and menacing. Any sane person would step back from him. He smiled when I did and if it weren't for the screams from my friends, I would've darted away to safety. Instead, I stayed perfectly still as Felix came towards me. However, he stopped a foot away when the girl told him to wait.

She gave me a blank stare. "We mustn't keep Aro waiting." She turned to the one beside her. "You'll make this easier."

He nodded and looked at me. I swallowed again, keeping eye contact with the red-eyed teenager until my vision blackened and I felt nothing. I only had silence and darkness. Not at all comforting.

* * *

And now the action begins. Keep checking back for more updates. The next chapter will really get things rolling with Alec.


	3. Aro's Advice

Images slowly sharpened out of the darkness. My sight had returned and so had my hearing abilities. I felt the cold air on my skin too. Good. Always good to have your senses, especially in a dark room.

"Welcome, my dear. I don't believe you've introduced yourself." The figure in front sat in a wooden throne and the moment I realized that, I knew exactly where I was and I did not want to be here.

I looked around. The four from earlier stood at opposite ends of the room. Felix and Demetri at the door behind me with the other two near the front. Three men sat in three different thrones, all staring at me. Actually, everyone in the room stared at me. They all had red eyes. Goose bumps trailed my spine, but I did my best to ignore the feeling.

"My name's Haley," I said slowly.

The man smiled. His half of his dark straight hair pulled back, only to flow down his shoulders. He wore a black suit with a gold chain and pendant. If I didn't know, I would've pegged him as a businessman. "Haley. It seems you stumbled upon us earlier today."

"I didn't stumble."

He raised his eyebrows.

"I walked and almost into this room. I stopped before I came in. I didn't see anything."

"But you heard," snapped a blond-haired man. His glare made my knees quiver, so I looked back at the nicer one.

He held out his hands. "May I see?"

"Sure." I gave him my hand and sucked in my breath at the ice-cold temperature. My reaction made him smile even more. He reminded me of the Cheshire Cat, all smiles and politeness. I waited, trying not to look at the blond-haired man. I felt his glare, felt his anger, and it was nearly impossible to ignore.

"Caius, stop intimidating the girl. It's all she's thinking about. I'd like to see deeper into her life." The feeling went away, but I knew Caius' anger would only multiply. Fantastic. The man holding my hands chuckled, but didn't say a word. Crap. What did that mean?

"Haley, you're about to turn eighteen. How exciting!"

"Assuming I survive," I blurted out and instantly regretted it. His grip on my hands tightened, causing my heart to speed up and sweat to form on my hairline. I fought the urge to struggle out of his grip, realizing that it'd only make matters worse. Much, much worse.

"May I ask what you mean by that?"

I glanced at Caius. "Well, I'm just piecing together the pieces. I heard screams earlier. He looks about ready to tear me limb from limb." I jerked my head behind me. "Felix looks like he could do the same. Demetri seems to be able to find people easily. She"- I looked at the blonde girl- "can inflict severe amount of pain and he can block a person's senses. I'm sorry, but the best I can do is ace a volleyball and debate philosophies. I don't have a chance of surviving if you want to kill me."

"Ah and therein lies the question." He let go and turned around. "What to do with you, Haley Cole?"

I wasn't going to ask how he knew my last name. Nor how he knew Caius scared the crap out of me. I wasn't going to ask a damn thing.

"Kill her, Aro," Caius said. "She'll let others know of our existence."

"Not true," I argued. Again, I felt all eyes on me. When would I shut up? "I didn't tell my friends about what happened." I looked to the girl for help and found none, though she did blink at me.

"It's true," the boy next to her said. "Her friends didn't know."

Caius frowned and Aro turned his back to me. I mouthed "thank you" to the boy, who just looked away from me. He had helped me out. That was better than nothing. I watched Aro walk up the steps and turn around before lowering himself on his throne. He stroked his chin once before looking at the girl and boy.

"Jane, what do you think?"

Jane turned her eyes on me, her red lips smirking. My legs tensed as I fought my instincts to run. "We can end her or hope she survives."

I opened my mouth, but Aro held up a hand to stop me. I obeyed. He held my life in his hands. I'd be stupid not to listen really. Aro gestured at Alec and asked his opinion of the situation. My stomach clenched when his eyes went to me, much in the same way Jane had looked, smirk and all.

"Jane's right. She either dies or lives as a vampire." I swallowed and shook the images of blood and pain from my mind. Alec stared at me a fraction longer than Jane had, but his eyes went to Aro quickly. So too did mine.

Aro kept his eyes on mine while he spoke. "I cannot make the decisions, but I highly advise waiting until she turns eighteen before doing the deed. Understand, Alec?"

The request took Alec by surprise, widening his red eyes. The smirk left his lips and I would've been all to pleased to comment if it didn't mean I'd be changed into a vampire. By him, no less.

Jane glared at me, but walked past me without a word. At Aro's dismissing look, I followed Jane. We walked in silence down the halls. I marveled at the beautiful designs and architecture. I shivered at the memory of the tour guide saying similar words. Things would be so different if I hadn't followed and I hadn't stopped outside the throne room. I'd either be in pure bliss with my friends or dead.

* * *

And so begins Haley's time with the Volturi. It's going to be delicious. Tell me what you thought!


	4. Budding Friendship

"You'll stay here for now," Jane informed, opening the door to a rather large room. I gaped at the four-post bed fit for a king and the matching dresser and bedside table. She closed the door behind me. If I hadn't known my life wasn't in her hands, I would've jumped at the force she put into it. However, she couldn't kill me. The other teenager was a different matter.

My fingers traced the wooden posts, so soft and smooth, and then the satin fabric of the bed. The comforter, pure white satin, molded to my touch and I could feel the prick of the feathers if I pressed hard enough. Gold trim covered the edges of the comforter as well as the sheets. I gingerly prodded the bed, slightly wondering if I fell asleep on this thing would I ever wake up.

"Haley?" came a voice from behind the door. It followed with a knock.

I hurried over to open it up, shocked to see Alec standing there. I then asked myself why I was shocked, but before I could mentally argue with me, myself, and I, Alec spoke.

"Aro assumed you'd be hungry."

"Oh?"

His red eyes stared at me before he curtly asked "Are you?"

I thought about it. Was I starving? No. Was eating a good idea? Yes. "I guess I could eat. What's on the menu?"

His look made me realize how idiotic I sounded. My mouth opened to explain, but nothing came out. Only a soft noise that sounded almost like the beginning of a word.

"You're nervous. Why?"

It was my turn to give the look. "I'm sure you're a real nice guy, but you're also the one who gets to kill me. Sorry if I'm not exactly relaxed right now."

He smiled and it wasn't a bad smile to look at. Sure, the guy was hot. Maybe beyond that if I stared long enough. The pale skin and red eyes, as terrifying as they were, made my insides boil just a bit. His height, about an inch or three taller than me, didn't help, but I'd dated taller. I had a thing for tall guys. Alec could be the perfect angel as long as the person had no idea about the killer inside. How darkly intriguing.

"Come on. You should eat before you go to bed. Aro will want to see you when you wake."

"Where're we going?" I asked as we left the building. The cool air caressed my skin and I realized I was still in my cover-up. I needed to change that. Alec didn't answer me, which was fine since I had to jog to keep up with him. Jogging and talking were not my strong points. "Could you slow down?"

I heard the sigh, but he complied. He didn't look pleased about it, but what could he do? Swing me over his shoulder and run to wherever our destination was? I told myself not to bring the idea up.

"You don't have to do this," I said. "I could have gone out by myself."

"And risk you running away?"

"I wouldn't do that," I said quickly. It made him look at me and he so didn't believe me. "I wouldn't run away."

"Why not? Most people would."

"Well Jane's got that freaky ability," I said, remembering the screams of my friends. "Aro would probably just send her to my friends again and I can't let that happen. I can't let them get hurt again for me."

He had stopped walking somewhere in my little rant. I stopped too, turning to look at him in the black dress pants, dress coat, and red shirt. Damn, he looked good. I really needed to eat before the light-headed feeling made me think other thoughts too. My eyes went to the stone road beneath me. I counted to ten then twenty and then sixty in my head before finally raising my eyes to his. He still had the same look, the innocent look that said nothing about him was innocent.

"Come on. The restaurant's up ahead." He walked past me and I shivered at the sudden cold. Turning on my heel, I caught up to him as we descended down a steep hill in the road.

"Question."

He made a noise in response. I consider it a go ahead.

"Can I borrow you jacket?"

I'd stopped the guy dead in his tracks twice within ten minutes. Whether or not that was a record, I didn't need to find out. He looked up at me, judging my words as if I had ulterior motives for wanting the jacket.

"Look. I'm only in a bikini and a cover-up that's pretty thin. I'm cold, okay?"

He chuckled. Most guys back home don't chuckle. At least not any where I came from, but I wasn't home. I was in Italy with a vampire in charge of escorting me to get food and taking my life. He shrugged the jacket off and climbed back up the few steps to hand it to me. I hadn't been expecting any warmth. Alec was a vampire. Dead and cold. Yet the lack of heat shocked me still. At least my instincts were still working.

I pulled the jacket on and my own body heat began to warm not only the jacket, but myself as well. "Thanks."

"It's fine."

"So, where're we going?" I asked again.

He pointed up ahead to a little pizza place. Hungry customers ordered pieces of pizza and other sides while those already with their steaming Italian delicacies sat down at the little tables, talking as they ate. As we approached, it dawned on me that I didn't have any money. I looked to Alec, who shook his head with a small smile. I ordered a piece of cheese pizza and a soft drink. Alec paid.

"So good," I moaned after taking the first bite. "I adore this place."

"I know."

I choked on the cheese. "What?"

"Felix and Demetri have noticed you here before. They told me to take you here." He shrugged. "So I did."

My heart slowed down after his explanation. At least he hadn't been watching me. I took another bite, the warmth spreading through the rest of my cold body. We sat at the little circular table farthest away from the other customers. I wiped my fingers with a napkin and put it on the plate.

"You have to promise me something."

He continued to stare at the others around us, but I had his attention.

"Leave Michaela and Yessenia alone. Please."

"It's not up to me," he answered, his voice low.

I sucked on my bottom lip before responding. "Then could you make it less painful? Somehow. I don't know how you'd do it, but if-if they..." I couldn't continue. I couldn't imagine my friends dead, let alone say the words. I just couldn't.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll do something."

* * *

Let me know what you thought. With first semester over, I'll be able to update more often, so keep up and comment that way I know I've got someone to entertain. Thanks to everyone who had reviewed, liked, alerted, etc on this sotry and me. It means a lot.

M. Neko


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